Reconstructionists Expanding Our Conversation on Israel/Palestine

We embrace the values of justice (tzedek), compassion (chesed), and the dignity of all human life (b’tselem Elohim).

Reconstructionists Expanding Our Conversation on Israel/Palestine is an independent project organized by rabbis and laypeople and co-sponsored by several Reconstructionist congregations since 2021. We embrace the Reconstructionist movement’s values of justice (tzedek), compassion (chesed), and the dignity of all human life (b’tselem Elohim). Our embrace of these values leads us to oppose Israel’s domination of the Palestinian people. We hope our educational events will expand our understanding of historical and present-day conditions in Israel/Palestine and strengthen our commitment to a just future. All are welcome to join us in learning and listening with open hearts and minds.

Israel’s oppression, occupation, and dehumanization of the Palestinian people is one of the most urgent ethical issues facing the Jewish people today.

We hold a broad range of connections to the land, culture, and people of Israel, and many of us have personal ties with Jewish Israelis. We believe that the well-being of Israeli Jews and Palestinians is intertwined and are committed to a society where Jews and Palestinians live in safety, dignity, justice, and freedom.

We invite Reconstructionists and progressive Jews of all affiliations to join us in a journey of re-envisioning an Israel/Palestine in which all who live between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea enjoy full human rights and the Israeli Jewish and Palestinian Arab peoples enjoy equal national rights.

What people are saying about our programming

  • "Thank you so much for the course -- it was terrific! ... I really appreciated that you made the class a safe space for people to bring their vulnerabilities to it, and that you affirmed how difficult this can be to deal with as well as answering the particular questions."

    Debbie Elkin, Temple Emanuel, New Haven, CT

  • "I'm really appreciative of this class you're teaching. Thank you! It presents a view of Palestine I hadn't known, and which I believe Israel has preferred that I don't know."

    Deborah-Miriam Leff, Medford, OR

  • "Thank you very much for offering this course. I’m learning a lot while also unlearning, which I know you know is even more demanding than the learning!"

    Susan Glass, Ottawa, Canada

  • “I took Joel Beinin’s class “Thinking About Israel/Palestine” in 2021” and greatly appreciated his deep-dive and balanced approach to the material. It has helped shaped my thinking about the conflict in new and much better-informed ways."

    David Newman, Congregation Havurah Shalom, Portland, OR

  • "Last night's presentation was amazing.  I can't believe my attention was kept focused for 90+ minutes of a zoom meeting!"

    Rahel Smith, Or Zarua Reconstructionist Havurah, Albany, CA

  • Reconstructionists Expanding our Conversation around Israel/Palestine provides programming that gives invaluable insight into the current situation both by conveying historical and social context, and exposing us to commentators who live the struggle. Without their programs, I wouldn't have either a current understanding of the realites that Palestinians and Israeli Jews live with day-to-day, or a way to think critically about the issues involved in the ongoing nakba

    Dr. Susan LaDue, Congregation Dorshei Tzedek, Newton, MA

  • I attended Occupation 101 in Jan-Feb '24. It was an excellent course from all standpoints--not only the expertise of Joel Beinin in presenting the material, but the comprehensive reading list. It exposed me to new ideas and information that I never learned about in my religious school education. It was one of the main influences in the reshaping of my thinking about Israel/Palestine. I am deeply grateful for having been offered this opportunity to learn via Reconstructionists Expanding Our Conversation.

    Janet Rickles, Congregation Dorshei Tzedek, Newton, MA